━━ chapter five
fireworm island
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━━"Okay, Hott," Valkyrie pulled Zephyr up into a hover beside her brother and Spikemoth. They were taking a moment before training started to get some of their own time in. Valkyrie liked helping her brother out, getting him caught up with the rest of the Riders now that he was a part of their team. It made her feel lighter, and freer after all the restriction's Alvin's war was giving them, as well as the new threat of the Berserker's and the Screaming Death. She just wanted to take a breath of peace.
"The first thing you need to know about Dragon Training, and being a Dragon Rider, is trust between you and your dragon." Hott nodded, listening to her intently. "You and Spikemoth have to work as one, listen to each other. A Deadly Nadder's blind spot is in the centre of their view, which means, when flying, she's going to have to rely on you for steering a lot more. But a Deadly Nadder's smell is also impeccable, so she's going to sense things before you do, and you have to listen to her tells."
Hott bobbed up and down in his saddle. "Like ... like when Erik tried to spill dragon dung in my bed and Spikemoth smelt it and made me sleep in her wings."
Valkyrie tilted her head, "Well, yeah. But I was thinking more the time when she pulled you close to protect you in that thunderstorm a few months ago. She knew the metal was attracting the lightning, and so she did what she thought would protect you the most."
"So," she went on, turning Zephyr around a little, "you and I are going to race through the sea-stack maze before we meet up with the others, and I want Spikemoth to be completely blinded when you do so."
Hott's eyes widened. "W━What?"
Val grinned and handed him the fabric she had gathered before hand. "It'll be fine. Zephyr and I do it for fun all the time. This'll help Spikemoth trust you and rely on her other senses more, and this will also make you more aware of everything around you to be sure you don't fly her into anything. I'll be doing the same for Zephyr, don't worry."
Hott took the fabric, uncertain. "Are you sure?"
"Just wait until I make you blindfolded," Valkyrie's grin grew as she stretched out her own fabric and gently tied it around Zephyr's snout. She's done this plenty of times, so she knew the exact way without tying his jaw shut, or cutting off his breathing, since his eyes were so small and close to his nostrils.
Hott followed her example, tying the fabric around Spikemoth's eyes with a tender, "It's okay, you have to trust me," and securing it behind the crown of spikes around her head. "Okay," he shifted in his saddle, placing a comforting hand on his dragon's neck. "We're ready."
Val smirked, "Good, because I'm not going easy on you━" and like that, she was off with a cheer.
"HEY!"
Valkyrie laughed as she weaved Zephyr in and out of the sea stacks, knowing this course she had made off by heart. The north side of Berk was riddled with rock formations that made excellent race-courses for her and Astrid. They spent half of their time working on their speed around here, and while it may give her advantage, it also let her keep an eye on her brother since she knew the twists and turns so well.
But Hott and Spikemoth were doing really well. They almost had a crash at the start, but Hott got them out of there in a blink of an eye. He spun them around the sea stack and to a short cut in and under the archways until he was almost neck and neck to Valkyrie.
"Haha!" she cheered. "Yes! Good job!"
Hott grinned at her, very proud of himself and Spikemoth.
"You hear that girl?!" he told the Nadder as she gathered a burst of speed. "Val complimented us! That never happens!"
Valkyrie still won in the end, zipping past to the finish line and pulling to a hover. But Hott was right on her tail, and she believed that maybe━just maybe━he might win next time (she was going to have to up her game).
They returned to the others a little while after that, finding them situated on the East beach amonst the cliff-face. Landing beside Astrid, Valkyrie rolled back her shoulders, stretching them out. Hott and Spikemoth reached the ground a little bit after, settling next to Hiccup.
He threw his arms up, estatic, "I just nearly beat Valkyrie in a race! With Spikemoth blindfolded!"
Hiccup arched a brow, very amused at the scoff Valkyrie made. "Please, I still won."
"Just."
"By a fair amount."
"Barely. You complimented us."
"No witnesses."
"Spikemoth and Zephyr were there."
"Zephyr's on my side."
Astrid crossed her arms, leaning back in her saddle with a mischevious smirk at her best friend. "My, my, Valkyrie, getting slower, are we?"
"No," Valkyrie spun to her, leaning forward. "Want to race after this? You'll be eating our dust!"
"The little Frode is quite the student," Tuffnut placed his hands together in prayer and bowed respectfully to Hott. Ruffnut copied him, her braids falling into her eyes.
"Who would have thought the little Frode had it in him?"
Hott made a face, "I'm not little! I'm fourteen!"
"Just," Valkyrie added, picking at her nails.
Her brother crossed his arms, "You know what, Val━"
He was cut off by a cheer in the air. The Riders all glanced up, frowning to see Snotlout and Hookfang's figure dive right down to them. They got bigger and bigger, getting so close that they teens all had to duck as Hookfang's wings flew right overhead. They darted up the cliff-face, almost vertical with Snotlout shouting, "Haha! Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!"
Hiccup sighed, shaking his head. "What is with him?"
He had the right to ask. Recently, Snotlout has been barely around, and if one wanted to find him, they'd have to search the waters of Berk and try and catch him and Hookfang. The rider and dragon had been flatout since the Screaming Death incident, never catching a moment of rest.
Astrid pursed her lips. She glanced at Hiccup, "I heard that ever since Alvin and the Whispering Deaths attacked, he's been training non-stop."
Fishlegs nodded, "I heard he has been flying all night for the past week!"
"Yeah?" Tuffnut arched a brow. "Well, I heard Gohti cand ebone a yak just by looking at it."
"Well, I heard," Ruffnut leaned closer to her brother, competitve, "if you sit on a Terrible Terror, you can make flames come out of you━"
"Whoa, hang on," Valkyrie held her hands up, eyeing the Twins with her usual incredulous look that was always reserved for them, "what does this have to do with Snotlout?"
Tuffnut frowned, "Oh," his shoulders slumped. "I thought we were playing the 'I Heard' game. And by the way━the Terrible Terror thing? Totally true," he snickered. "I've tried."
Hott leaned back slightly, disgusted. "I━I don't even want to know."
Finally, Snotlout and Hookfang joined them. Valkyrie furrowed her brows, startled to see the Monstrous Nightmare basically collapse on the sand when he landed with a strangled cry. Snotlout paid no attention. He just laughed, "That's right!" he told them all. "You just saw what you just saw."
As he kissed at his biceps (and caused Astrid to gag), Valkyrie focused in on Hookfang. The poor dragon was heaving, absolutely exhausted.
She wasn't the only one. Hiccup tilted his head, concerned, "Snotlout," he said, "Hookfang looks pretty tired. I think you might be pushing him too hard."
Snotlout glowered at his cousin, "You say 'pushing', I say 'challenging'. Hookfang doesn't need rest. He's a warrior. And we warriors live for the thrill of battle. It's like my dad always says━"
"'Take a bath, Snotlout'?" offered Astrid, smirking.
"'Rip your tongue out, Snotlout'?" added Ruff, proud of her joke.
"'Stop being a woman repellent, Snotlout?'" Valkyrie arched a brow, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling.
"Oh," Hott held up his hand, "how about: 'Stop sucking your thumb when you sleep, Snotlout?'"
Tuffnut clapped his hands as he thought of one, too. "Ooh! I know: 'Stick your head up a yak's━'"
"No! No!" Snotlout scowled at them all as they snickered under their breaths. "None of those. He says: 'Rest is for the weak!'"
They were silent, unimpressed.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, "And let's all thank Snotlout for that inspirational speech," he muttered, sarcastic
It soared right over Snotlout's head, "You're welcome," he said. "Now, let's get on with this exercise, unless you guys are too tired!" He forced Hookfang back up onto his feet and took off, cheering into the ocean air, "Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi, oi, oi!"
Astrid sighed, "I can name one thing I'm tired of," she grumbled.
The rest of them followed.
They caught up with Snotlout pretty quick, getting into their usual formations as Hiccup led them all, beginning the day's training exercise. "Okay, gang━Alvin wants Berk for himself and now he has dragons. If he can train them to fight we'll have to battle dragon-riding Outcast soldiers up here."
Tuffnut blinked. He glanced around them, "Up where?"
Hiccup stared at him, "Up here?" he said. "In the sky?" Tuffnut looked very bewildered by the idea. Valkyrie face-palmed. "O━On your dragon?"
"Well, I say━" Snotlout squared his chest defiantly, "━bring it on, Alvin!"
Valkyrie was a little worried. Sure, Snotlout was always obnoxious, but not this obnoxious. Her eyes flickered down to Hookfang, who's blood-red scales looked rather sickly and pale.
"Okay," Hiccup turned to Valkyrie, "Val, for this training excercise, you and Zephyr will act as our bad dragon."
She grinned, "Nice!" Pulling herself up above them all, she cracked her knuckles, more than ready.
Below, Hiccup continued, "And the rest of you make sure you don't get caught. If she touches you, you're out."
They all split up, and Valkyrie rubbed her palms together, actually very excited for today's drill. She picked on the easiest, first, narrowing in on either the Twins or Fishlegs. She kept within the clouds to start off with, Zephyr's scales blending in with the blue sky. She got Fishlegs pretty quick, keeping a steady pace above him as he and Meatlug weaved in between the trees. When they stopped, and Fishlegs gave his dragon a proud hug, she swooped down and tapped him on the shoulder with a triumphant jeer. ("It's okay, Meatlug," Fishlegs had said afterwards to his dragon, "She's just really competitive. You still have the biggest heart."). The Twins were even easier. Valkyrie spent about five minutes just staring at Barf and Blech's body as their heads and their riders hid in the trees, not even realising she could see them. But then she slapped Barf's neck lightly to catch them and took off, for the Twins still hadn't realised she had caught them.
Astrid was a little harder. She stuck to the woods as well, knowing Valkyrie and Zephyr weren't the best with tree manouvers. She sent her taunting messages back as she and Stormfly zipped in and out. Valkyrie decided to swoop up and over, cutting her off at the end of the forest. Astrid gasped, startled when Val flicked her on the shoulder with a laugh: "Got you! You're out!"
"No!" she had said, upset. "So unfair!"
Valkyrie just cackled as she took to the air again. Hott and Spikemoth were trying to hide by the cliffs. It was smart, giving them high advantage, and a high viewing point, but Valkyrie was more experienced. She caught them heading back down with a distraction and ruffled her brother's hair in passing. He grumbled, defeated.
She caught up with Hiccup next, flying behind him and just smirking, letting him and Toothless fly for a little before she announced her presence: "Might as well give up now, babe!"
He glanced back, amused by her confidence, "What's that, Milady?"
She narrowed her eyes, tilting Zephyr down a little to gain some speed. Hiccup stayed rather casual, continuing to head towards the mountain caves. "You've lost!" she grinned. "I've won, like usual."
Hiccup decided to spin Toothless upside down to gaze at her as she flew underneath. His blood went to his head, but he grinned at her with his own confident smirk. "I don't think so, not just yet, Milady."
With that said, he spun back around and clicked Toothless's tail back. They shot towards the comfort of the dark caverns. Valkyrie sighed after them, shaking her head. "Oh, Hiccup," she said, "so predictable."
She followed into the dark caves. She heard Toothless in front of her, lighting up the dark with his sonic blasts for Hiccup, but she had her own way to see in the dark. With a new pattern on Zephyr's neck, he opened up his maw and let out a low flame that circled around his gums, creating enough of a glow that they could use as a torch to weave in and out.
Hiccup glanced back, but wasn't fazed. He sighed, shaking his head, "Oh, Valkyrie," he said, "so predictable."
Valkyrie followed the cave to the other end, bursting out into the light. She frowned, though, to see Hiccup and Toothless nowhere to be seen. "What?" she let out, frustrated. "Oh, come on."
Back in the cave, Toothless unfolded his wings like a bat, hidden in the dark. Inside, Hiccup peered out towards the exit, lips pursed. He glanced at his dragon, "She's not gonna be too pleased with this, is she?" Toothless just warbled, setting his head on his rider's, agreeing with him.
Outside, Valkyrie slammed her fist onto her saddle, still annoyed he won when she saw Hookfang and Snotlout. Fresh confidence and determination hit her, and she grinned, soaring after them.
Snotlout saw them, and set his shoulders. He turned to his dragon, "Okay, Hookfang, let's show them who's the true King of the Skies. Flame!" The scales of the Monstrous Nightmare flickered with embers, but failed to catch alight. Snotlout's grin fell. Valkyrie frowned, startled. "Uh ... Hookfang? I said flame!" he tried again, but it was only a worse attempt than the first.
Valkyrie faltered, brows lifting. Her stomach filled with worried over Hookfang's state, but she still rushed Zephyr forward and whacked Snotlout over the helmet. "You're out," she said, but it wasn't with the same enthusiasm she had held beforehand.
Spinning back around, the riders regrouped, all watching Hookfang try to light himself up until nothing but smoke coughed out of his lungs; weak and miserable. Snotlout grew more and more frustrated, but even there was a flicker of worry in his eyes.
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━━Valkyrie was tasked with having a look at Hookfang. She knelt beside the pale, still dragon, feeling her heart clench at the sound of his wheezed breaths. They were back in the Academy, and behind her, Snotlout was pacing. She tried to ignore it, focusing on what her mother has taught her.
After a little while, Hiccup knelt down next to her. "How is he looking?"
Valkyrie pursed her lips. She met his gaze, and his shoulders fell as he recognised it. It wasn't good. She rememebered how she had been when Zephyr got sick from the Blue Oleander, scared he was going to die. She knew Snotlout hid it, but he cared about Hookfang very much━she didn't want to give him terrible news.
"What is it?" Snotlout asked, seeing their looks. "Is he okay? Of course, he's okay!" he rushed over and crouched down beside his dragon's snout, setting a hand on the cold scales that were usually warm. "I knew it, Hookfang! See?" he glowered back at them. "He's fine!"
"Snotlout ..." Valkyrie murmured, hating how the teen refused to meet her gaze. "He's lost his fire, he's got discolouration, chafing scales, none of those are good signs for a dragon. All together..."
Hookfang whined, moving his head away from Snotlout. He settled on the stone, slumping away from his rider, who's brows lifted with something Valkyrie rarely saw from Snotlout: guilt and shame. She realised Hookfang made Snotlout a better person, he made him brave, and made him kind, and made him sefless when before he came into his life, Snotlout was none of those things.
Valkyrie stood up and made her way over to Snotlout. She crouched down beside him. Sure, they've had their troubles, and she might want to punch him sometimes (okay, a lot), but he was also her friend. "We'll find a way to help him," she promised. "Hookfang is a strong warrior, this won't be the end of him."
Snotlout scoffed, shoving her away with a cross of his arms, "I know that." But Val smiled a little, seeing the side glance he sent her. He appreciated it in his own, stubborn way.
But Fishlegs had to be the bearer of even worse news. He twiddled his thumbs. "But━according to the Book of Dragons, a Monstrous Nightmare can lose its ability to generate flame."
Val scowled at Fishlegs; she knew he was trying to help in his own way, but she had just promised Snotlout a way to fix this.
Astrid crossed her arms, glancing down at Hookfang with a heavy heart, "But why?"
"A lot of things," said Fishlegs, "old age, injury, exhaustion..."
Astrid soon glowered, "Pushed too hard by his stubborn rider?"
Snotlout stood up, hands clenching, "I heard that!" he snapped. "And I always work him this hard. So he's a little low on flame, what's the cure?"
Fishlegs's shoulders fell. He was hesitant in his next words. Snotlout's eyes widened as it slowly started to hit him. "That's ... that's the thing with Stoker Class dragons ... once they lose their flaming ability? They become completely defenceless and ..."
Snotlout's breath hitched, "A━and what?" he demanded. "What are you saying, Fishlegs?!"
"I━I'm saying Hookfang is in trouble," said Fishlegs, "and we need to do something━now."
Valkyrie jumped to her feet, "We'll find something," she said again. "Hott and I━" she nodded to her brother and he was at her side immediately, ready to help, "━we'll gather some Monstrous Nightmare gel from those at the Sanctuary, maybe coating Hookfang in that we'll keep him going for longer until we find a way to help him permanetly. My dad knows a lot about Nightmares, too━I mean, from, like, killing them, but there could be something there... I'll bring some gel to you, tonight." She set her hand on Snotlout's arm, giving it a squeeze. "He's going to live, Snotlout. I promise."
And she meant it. She really did.
That evening, Valkyrie and Hott worked to gather safe amounts of Monstrous Nightmare gel from the dragons in the sanctuary. A Nightmare shed gel daily if they didn't burn it off before regenerating it, and so Valkyrie hoped this would at least give Hookfang a small relief in his sickness. Asrifth came and helped a little bit, his eyes widening as they told him about Hookfang's compromising situation. Val tried to get some information off her dad, but Mallory was just as clueless as the rest of them in the end. He set a hand on her shoulder and instead gave her advice on how to help Snotlout grieve.
She refused to let it get to that point.
At early night, Valkyrie made her way to Snotlout's house just across from hers. She held the bowl of Monstrous Nightmare gel closely, careful not to spill it as she stepped over the cobblestone to the open doorway that had dim candlelight spiking out into the night.
She stopped however, when she heard the conversation inside:
"Troubles with the lizard, son?" Spitelout's rough voice immediately made Valkyrie frown. He was too tough on Snotlout, they all knew that, but it was never their place to say anything.
"Why? Him?" Snotlout scoffed a reply, "Nah━he's fine. Just resting."
"You know what I say about rest? Rest is━"
"Rest is for the weak!" his son finished for him, chuckling nervously. "It's just a break, you know, from anihilating stuff all day, isn't that right, Hookfang?" There was a pregnant pause. Snotlout laughed again, but it was weak. "Heh! He's roaring on the inside ..."
"You know, boyo..." Valkyrie peaked inside and saw Spitelout examine a rack of swords by the wall. Snotlout stood next to Hookfang who looked even worse than he had earlier. "As Viking warriors," Spitelout picked a blade out from the others, "if our swords are not cutting properly, we sharpen them. But, if our sword cannot be sharpened any longer━" Val muffled her gasp to see Spitelout snap the blade in half, "━we get a new sword."
He stepped out towards the door, and Valkyrie didn't hide away quick enough. Spitelout saw her and piped up, "Oh, hello there, Val! What you got there?"
Valkyrie glanced down at the Monstrous Nightmare gel, at Spitelout, and then his son, who was frozen in shock and fear. She swallowed hard, trying not to make it seem she just heard their conversation. "I━uh━I'm bring a protein mix for Hookfang!" she quickly lied straight through her teeth. "You know━he and Snotlout have been just destroying the rest of us recently."
She briefly met Snotlout's gaze and saw him heft out a small sigh of relief.
Spitelout nodded, chest raised, "That's my boy!" he told his son before leaving, chucking a bludgeon between his hands as he went.
Valkyrie and Snotlout were left alone. She didn't wait for a thank you; she didn't want one, not after what she just heard. She just stepped in and passed over the bowl. "Here," she said. "Rub some of it on his neck and back, and let him rest."
He nodded and she left him. As she reached the doorway, she stopped. Glancing back, she didn't know why she said, "He's wrong, you know," but she did. Snotlout didn't say anything, but she didn't expect him to. She returned home, brows furrowed with the weight of what she saw.
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━━Hookfang was growing worse and worse. His scales were now completely grey, dead and lifeless as he barely managed to lift his head in the arena the next day. Valkyrie and Hott's idea of a gel concotion didn't help, at all. She sat beside Hiccup, hands out and carefully stroking Hookfang's snout. He moaned, tilting towards Snotlout on his other side, and the teen took a deep breath, trying to keep himself together.
Hiccup saw the look on his face, "Don't worry, Snotlout," he said, "we'll get to the bottom of this."
"I'm not worried!" snapped Snotlout, but it was more of a whimper as Valkyrie watched something clear glisten in his eyes and fall down his cheeks; he was crying.
Her eyes widened. She's never seen Snotlout cry.
Tuffnut was beyond bewildered. Ignorant and stupid, he didn't care for personal space as he hovered by Snotlout's shoulders and peeked at his face, "Whoa," he let out, "are you crying? What's that like━?"
"Crying?!" Snotlout immediately sniffled, wiping away his tears and punching Tuffnut away. "That's ridiculous!" he stood up, his voice cracking as sobs formed in his throat. "There's dust in my eye!" he said. "Can't you see how dusty it is here?!"
Astrid stepped forward, reaching a careful hand out, "Snotlout," she murmured, "there's nothing wrong with being upset. It just ... it just means you care," placing her hand on his shoulder, Snotlout froze. There was a second where he slumped, letting his fear overtake him, but then he stepped away, shrugging her hand off.
"All right, um," he wouldn't meet their gazes, staring at the stone floor. "Let's just pretend for a minute that I did ... well ... care ... how would I know? I mean, h━how would you know?"
Astrid's brows rose at the question, but she didn't fail to answer, "Well," she began, "you ... might feel a tightness in your chest. You might get a little bit shaky. Your eyes might get watery." She explained exactly how Snotlout felt at this moment, and Valkyrie could tell he didn't know how to act.
It really broke her.
"Yeah," Snotlout wiped away at his eyes, sniffling, "I'm gonna go with dust," he glanced back at Val and then to Astrid again, "for now."
The girls smiled gently.
Valkyrie turned her attention back to Hookfang, running a gentle hand down his snout. He purred. Her heart ached when suddenly, Fishlegs rejoined them with a grin of hope.
"Hiccup!" he ran into the arena, carrying a pile of papers in his arms. "Hiccup!"
The chief's on glanced up, his shoulders rising with anticipation as Fishlegs rounded Hookfang and stopped beside him and Val. The rest of the riders went quiet, listening with bated breaths for what he had found.
"Here's something from the Bork Papers regarding reigniting a Stoker Class dragon's flame." He shoved the paper in his face, and the Riders all peered over his shoulder to see a picture of a Monstrous Nightmare surrounded by what could easily be depicted as Fireworm dragons.
Hiccup took the paper lightly, eyes widening, "Fireworm dragons ..."
"Or as Bork referred to them as: the Flame Eaters."
Tuffnut's brows rose and a grin tugged at his lips, "Flame Eaters," he echoed. He turned to his sister, hunched up in eagerness. "We should be Flame Eaters!" She smiled, excited and punched him as her way of agreeing. "OW!" he crumpled to the floor.
"Fireworm dragons are Stoker Class dragons, too," said Hiccup. "There must be something in them that could help reignite the Monstrous Nightmare!" he stood up, jittery with new hope. "Okay━Val, Hott, Astrid, the Twins and I will round up as many Fireworms as we can find." He pulled Valkyrie up and she followed him towards where Toothless and Zephyr were dozing. "Fishlegs, keep reading."
"What about me?!" cried Snotlout, on his toes with a racing heart.
"You stay with your dragon," Hiccup told him gently. "He needs you."
Valkyrie smiled, "It's part of caring."
In fact, Snotlout looked rather relieved. He turned back to Hookfang, and Valkyrie saw him hug his dragon around the head as they left.
And so, the group of Riders rounded up every single Fireworm that they could find. They returned to the sunken earth of where Hiccup had found Hamish II's lost treasure and gathered almost fifty of the little creatures. To keep themselves from burning their hands, they placed them in jars and canteens, making sure they were still able to breathe. However, Tuffnut was still able to get himself burnt right on the backside━look, Valkyrie didn't ask; she didnt want to.
Finally, they returned to the Academy and gathered all of the Fireworms around Hookfang like Bork's picture described. They stood back and waited ... and waited ... and waited.
"Why isn't anything happening?" asked Hott, eyes wide and looking to Hiccup for an answer.
Snotlout glowered at his cousin, who held up his hands quickly, "I don't know━look, Snotlout, this might not have worked, but━"
"Maybe, he can drink this!" Tuffnut held out a bowl of ... water?
Valkyrie frowned, very confused. "Uh, Tuff, what is that?"
Ruff set her elbow on her brother's shoulder proudly. "Fireworm Milk," she stated, jutting out her hip.
Astrid arched a brow, "Fireworm Milk?"
Fishlegs winced, "Um ... Tuffnut?" he raised a hand. "I don't think you can actually milk a Fireworm?"
"Argh!" Tuffnut slumped, passing off the bowl to his sister grumply, "Great, thanks." He held out his bandaged fingers, "Where were you three hours ago?!"
Valkyrie saw Snotlout's face fall and she quickly tried to think of something else. "M━Maybe we need to put the Fireworms on Hookfang?" she suggested, meeting his gaze. "So ... so he could absorb their heat directly?"
His eyes lit up, "Yeah!" he took Valkyrie by her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Yeah! Good idea, Val━direct heat! That makes sense!" he then glared at the other riders, finally letting her go. "Well, what are you all waiting for?! Come on!"
They gathered tools from the blacksmith to handle the creatures, gently picking them up and setting them down onto Hookfang's scales. He huffed, watching them with scared eyes and Snotlout told him, it's going to be okay. They stepped back once they were finished, and Snotlout held his hands together in prayer, waiting for something to happen━
When a flicker of flame sparked on Hookfang's scalp.
"It━it's working!" Snotlout grinned, only for his smile to falter when the flame went out. He grew stressed. "N━No━we need more Fireworms! NOW!"
But they were out. There were no more Fireworms; they had gathered every one they could find, and it wasn't enough. Astrid watched Snotlout run around, frantic and searching every crevice in the Academy.
"Snotlout," she tried, "I think we've rounded up every Fireworm dragon on Berk."
He met her gaze, and with a defeated slump, dropped the bucket. Val turned to Hiccup, eyes wide. There had to be another way. She promised she wouldn't let Hookfang die. There needs to be another way.
Hiccup sighed, hanging his head. He stepped towards Snotlout, ready to try and comfort him, when a spark of light caught his attention. He looked over, and stared, shocked at the Twins fighting each other with Fireworms in clamps. Each time the dragons grew close to each other, they glowed.
Astrid crossed her arms, "Hiccup," she scolded. "Do you really think now is the time to focus on the Twins?"
"Actually?" a grin started to form on his lips, "It's a great time! They've given me an idea!" he rushed over to the Twins, who stopped shoving the Fireworm dragons at each others faces to hear him say, "I━I don't say this often, but, you two are geniuses!"
He left them to gather a lantern, and Tuffnut rolled his eyes, "Pphf!" he turned back to his sister, holding up the Fireworm. "Like we didn't already know that━" and they were back to wrestling.
Valkyrie watched Hiccup gather Fireworms into the lantern, and as more grew inside, the brighter the light became. Her eyes widened, gasping. He walked over to the group of them, who now hovered together. Snotlout fiddled with his tunic sleeves, desperate for a way to save his best friend.
"As Ruff and Tuff so astutely discovered," Hiccup held out the lantern before the teens, glowing with warmth of the sun, "Fireworms get brighter the closer they are to each other━" he lowered it down to the Fireworms at the Twins' feet, and just as he said, they glowed brighter on their tiny scales.
"Whoa," let out Hott.
"Yeah," agreed Astrid. "That's pretty cool."
"Whoa..." breathed Ruffnut. She arched a dubious brow, "We discovered that?" she gestured between her and her brother.
Hiccup nodded, grinning, "Yes, yes you did."
The Twins beamed at each other and rammed their helmets together.
"So, if I'm right," went on the chief's son, "the closer we get to more Fireworms, then ..." he arched a brow at the Twins expectantly, "... come on!" he egged them to finished his sentence, but they stared at him, dumbfoudned. "Come on, Tuff! Lead us home!"
Tuffnut scratched his temple, "Uh ..." an idea hit him, and his face lit up, "We'll all burst into flames!"
Hiccup sighed, a little disappointed, but not surprised. "No, actually, the closer we get the brighter the Fireworms will glow! Inside this━" he held up the lantern again, very proud of himself.
Tuff groaned, "Aw," he mumbled, "much less fun than bursting into flames..."
Snotlout frowned, "But I thought you said there were no more Fireworms on Berk."
Fishlegs nodded, holding the Book of Dragons, "Yes, on this island," he flipped through the pages and showed them a new island on the parchment; one riddled with stone, "But not on Fireworm Island."
Hiccup grinned. "And these guys━" he nodded to the latern, "━will lead us right to it."
Snotlout took a deep breath, but he was grinning. He rushed to Hookfang and stepped under his wing, giving him a push. "Come on, boy," he coaxed his dragon, meeting his gaze. Hookfang moaned, not wanting to move. "Come on━I know you've got some fight left in you!"
And when Snotlout managed to hoist Hookfang back up onto his feet with a roar, Valkyrie knew there was hope.
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━━They only just made it to Fireworm Island. Hookfang slumped a landing on the rocky surface of the cliff's ledge outside the cave the lantern had led them to. Hiccup and Toothless glanced back as Snotlout jumped off and hugged the Monstrous Nightmare's snout.
He pursed his lips, "Snotlout, I think you should stay back with Hookfang. Valkyrie, Astrid and I will bring the Fireworms back."
But Snotlout shook his head. He stood back up, jaw set with a stubborn determination. "No," he said. "It's my fault, Hiccup. I did this to Hookfang." He then started off at a run to the cave, "I'm gonna save him."
Val watched him go, and nodded to herself, ready to support him. "We'll stay behind with Hookfang," she told Hiccup, gesturing back to the others.
Fishlegs settled his hand on Hookfang's snout, pale, "But you better hurry!" he cried. "I don't think he has much longer."
Hiccup took a deep breath through his nose. Meeting Snotlout's gaze just by the entrance of the cavern, he nodded to tell him, I'm coming with you and opened up the lantern. The Fireworms inside scrambled their balance before running straight towards the cave entrance.
"Come on," he said and Snotlout leapt up onto the saddle behind him. Together, they rushed after the Fireworms, leaving the others to wait and hope for the best.
Valkyrie hopped off Zephyr and joined Fishlegs and Hott beside Hookfang. She cradled his head, gently tracing the patterns on his scales. He huffed, eyes fluttering closed. "Come on," Valkyrie told him. "You can do it. Just keep fighting, boy."
They waited, and in just minutes, Hookfang became so limp, the only way to tell he was still alive was by the wheezing shudders of his chest trying to breathe. Valkyrie turned to the cave entrance, praying that they were on their way out.
The night was cold, but that wasn't what caused the shivers to rock through Hookfang's body.
Come on, guys, Valkyrie begged, come on━
There was a blast of golden light.
Out of one of the side entrances to the cavern, burst forth a Fireworm. But this one wasn't small like the rest. It was huge, with glowing scales, sharp teeth and multiple legs. She paid them no attention, and instead shooting to the entrance their friends had gone through, extending out her wings and screeching.
It happened so quickly that it took a while for them all to take it in.
When they did, Fishlegs squealed. "It's the Fireworm Queen!"
"She's blocking the entrance!" said Astrid. She hopped onto Stormlfy and took to the air. With a command, the Deadly Nadder pushed the Fireworm Queen away with a blast of fire. She shrieked and took flight back up. Astrid and Stormfly followed, keeping her from the cave as Toothless, Hiccup and Snotlout swooped out.
Astrid shouted down, "Val!"
"On it!" she replied and passed Hookfang over to Hott. Running to Zephyr, he hoisted her up and onto the saddle. They took to the sky to help Astrid and Stormfly. Passing Hiccup, she stated, "We'll handle the Queen. You guys go and save Hookfang!"
Turning to the giant Fireworm, Valkyrie shouted, "Hey! Over here you big glow-bug!"
She didn't like that nickname very much. Her flame burst out of her maw like sparks; exploding in columns and sprites that Valkyrie and Zephyr only just barely dodged. The Twins came to her aid.
"Light 'em up, Belch!" Tuffnut ordered amongst noxious green gas, and the explosion rocked the Queen to the side, distracting her enough for Hiccup to land Toothless and Snotlout to run to his dragon, holding a cocoon of glowing substance in his hands.
"Yeah!" Ruff threw her arms up in victory. "Flame Eaters!"
Valkyrie cheered, diving back down and swooping low over the Fireworm Queen's head. She snarled over and went to follow, but Astrid kept her back with a volley of Stormfly's spines.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Astrid said as she sweeped around. "Did you want to move? Well, sorry, we have a Monstrous Nightmare on Top Priority."
Meanwhile, Snotlout coaxed Hookfang to eat the coccoon he had taken from the nest, growing more and more anxious by the second when his dragon sniffed at it, but didn't move.
The Riders in the air tried to overwhelm the Queen back into the cave, but she wasn't taking retreat as an answer. She grew so angry that the next time she let loose her sparks of fire, it expanded out like a firestorm, and the teens and their dragons had no choice but to balk or be burnt.
Spikemoth squawked, readying her spikes as the Fireworm Queen landed her gaze back on those on the ground. She flung them out, and it kept her back for now.
"Come on, Hookfang!" cried Snotlout, tears of frustration welling in his eyes. "You gotta eat it! Eat it!" But the Monstrous Nightmare just stared back at him. Snotlout stamped his foot. "Stop being stubborn!" he sobbed.
Behind him, the Fireworm Queen made her way over the Nadder spikes and was closing in. Valkyrie gasped, trying to regroup the others in the sky. Hiccup went to join them with Toothless, but Snotlout glowered.
Without a weapon, or any way to defend himself, he stood in front of his dragon and announced, "If you wanna get to Hookfang, you're gonna have to go through me!"
But Hookfang wouldn't let him risk his life. He took the coccoon and chucked it back to the Queen. She caught it in her top two arms, snarling. Snotlout's shoulders dropped, "What?" he spun back to his dragon. "No! What are you doing, Hookfang?! You need to eat that!"
Hookfang set his head back down, as if just that took up the very last of his energy. He looked up at the Fireworm Queen, begging her to not hurt his friends.
"Snotlout," breathed Hiccup, mournful, "he's protecting you. He's doing for you what you were willing to do for him."
Snotlout's bottom lip trembled, and even Valkyrie shed a few tears. The Fireworm Queen snarled again, and with her tail, swiped Hookfang up into the air by his neck.
The Riders all gasped, alarmed.
"NO!" screamed Snotlout. "HOOKFANG!"
"No! Stop her!" cried Valkyrie, but Zephyr wouldn't move. "Zeph, what are you doing?!" The rest of their dragons were also reluctant, refusing to move.
"Uh━what do we do?" Hott asked.
But he didn't get an answer. None of them knew what to do as Hookfang hung, limp at the Fireworm Queen's mercy. And when she slithered out her venomous tongue and struck the Monstrous Nightmare, Snotlout's screams echoed all across the Archipelago.
She dropped Hookfang and he hit the ground, still.
Snotlout ran to his side, dropping down and throwing his body over his snout. Valkyrie choked back a sob, seeing his back tremble and shake as he cried over the limp body of his best friend. The Fireworm Queen slithered away, leaving the two of them alone.
Beside Valkyrie, Astrid whimpered out a cry of grief, placing her forehead against Stormfly's neck; she couldn't bear to look.
"I'm right here, with you," sobbed Snotlout. "You're not just another sword, Hookfang."
Val's body slumped at the words, remembering what his father had said to him. She tried to wipe back her tears, but they kept on coming.
But then, a miracle happened.
Snotlout gasped, stepping away from Hookfang as his hands began to steam with burns. "W━what?" he let out, strangled. "He's━" he glanced back at the others, who had all looked up from their mournful slumps, startled, "━He's burning hot!
He stumbled back as the scales of his dragon darkened like ash before materialising back into his usual, blood-coloured red. The stripes and markings on his body strengthened, and so did Hookfang. He pushed himself up, and Snotlout gaped, unable to believe his eyes.
Valkyrie gasped, her hands flying to her mouth with delight.
Hookfang stood back, shaking his head. Then, he lit himself up in flames and produced a mighty, triumphant roar.
"Yes!" shouted Hott, throwing a fist into the air.
"Hooky!" Snotlout cried, running to his dragon as the flames dispersed and throwing his arms around his neck. His dragon hoisted him up and Astrid laughed.
Yes, there was hope; there was always hope.
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a/n: just so you know, this episode, this chapter based of a kids show, made me, an 18-yr-old fuckin sob because snotlout and hookfang deserve the world.